“What are my options at home?” The smile I earned when I repeated the phrase was worth it.
“Homemade ravioli with Nonna’s Bolognaise.”
“God, you spoil me.”
“That’s my job.”
He checked his phone and tapped out a response to someone. Maybe it was because we’d found no solutions when we’d talked to his grandfather, but I wasn’t feeling motivated to check my work e-mail. I wanted to bury myself in Jonathan, eat ravioli, and forget that anything existed outside of us.
I didn’t think I could hate Tucker more than I did, but seeing how he directly impacted my relationship and Jonathan’s peace, increased that feeling exponentially.
Instead of driving, he’d ordered a car for us today. Would I ever get used to that? Probably never. I also wouldn’t get used to the second luxury vehicle showing up in the garage as he quietly added a key to my key ring.
He wasn’t flashy, but the things Jonathan thought I needed just showed up. And while I had planned to buy Kelsey’s old, trusty Honda, he and Sam had found a reason to nix that. Something about the engine that I suspected was bullshit. The boys loved their cars, but I thought the G-Wagon was a bit boxy. And white? Definitely a chick car.
As we ate our dinner, Jonathan did everything he could to keep the feelings light, to keep us in the bubble and avoid the shitstorm that awaited us outside.
“If you could live anywhere in or around Boston, where would it be?”
“I love the penthouse.”
“But do you see us here long-term?”
“I don’t know. Kelsey and Sam are looking at Concord. But I really love your grandparents’ neighborhood in Brookline. It’s still close to everything, feels like a city, but also a neighborhood.”
Jesus, how had I found myself in a world where asking to live in Brookline was ever an option on the table?
“Do you see us there? Or better yet, when you imagine yourself there, who do you see next to you?”
The vulnerability that shone back at me nearly knocked me on my knees.
“I see us together. With our family.”
“What does our family look like, Ken?” His voice cracked, and I knew we both wanted the same thing. But he would wait forever until I asked.
“Babies, dogs, maybe a cat or two. Not right away, but eventually.”
“I wasn’t sure that was what you wanted.”
“What? The babies? Or you?”
“The babies.”
“I wasn’t either. But the uncertainty wasn’t because I never wanted it; it was because I was afraid of it. Everything about you—about our relationship—has forced me out of that comfort zone. I don’t want to go back there; it wasn’t a life.”
His eyes squeezed shut. “I won’t ever push your timeline, but I’ve always seen this future with you.”
FIFTY-TWO
hawk
From:[email protected]
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]
Re: Player relations - problems
Date: May 31, 2026
